Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, Public Law 93-205, was approved December 28, 1973, 87 Stat. 884.

There are 1912 species currently listed as endangered species. 

Since 1973, only 33 species have been delisted, seven because they went extinct and 12 more because they should not have been listed in the first place. Six more may be cases of data error, which is certainly the case with the gray whale and American alligator. The brown pelican’s and Arctic peregrine falcon’s recoveries have far more to do with the ban on the insecticide DDT than with the Endangered Species Act.

Documents & Reports

 * Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005. "An Act to amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes." H. R. 3824, 109th Congress, 1st Session. As passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
 * Implementation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Report to the House Committee on Resources, Richard W. Pombo, Chairman, Majority Staff 109th Congress, May 2005.
 * "Citizens' Guide to the Endangered Species Act," 2003 report by Earthjustice and the Endangered Species Coalition.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * U.S. Department of the Interior
 * U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service